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St. Charles poultry plant fire ruled accidental

The Minnesota fire marshal's office says
the April 17 fire that destroyed the North Star Foods meat processing plant in St. Charles was accidental, but its cause
is unknown.

Kristine Chapin of the Department of Public Safety
says the ruling means the fire was not caused by arson, but
investigators were unable to determine the exact cause -- and the
cause may never be determined.

Chapin says the ruling allows private entities including
insurance carriers to take over the investigation, and a cause
could be determined through civil proceedings.

The fire caused the evacuation of St. Charles and put several
hundred employees out of work.

North Star Foods' owners say they are waiting for their
insurance company to make a final determination of coverage before
deciding to rebuild and where.